1. It is widely acknowledged that one of the major
health issues facing the UK is the decline in physical activity
by the population, leading to a rise in obesity and associated
conditions. Physical activity also promotes mental well-being,
and both participation in and viewing of sport are important parts
of the UK's culture. It was widely hoped that the London Olympics
and Paralympics would renew interest in participation in sport,
leading to a growth in activity at the grass roots and encouraging
the more talented to aspire to competing at an elite level.

2. Although the reasons for participating in sport
apply equally to men and women, there remain stark differences
between men's sport and women's sport. At the elite level, women's
sport gains much less sponsorship and media coverage, and prize
money is lower; at the grassroots level, participation by women
is significantly lower than by men. We therefore decided to launch
an inquiry into the barriers to women's participation in sport
and how to overcome these. In particular, we focused on:

· The
availability of facilities for training and playing sport, for
both girls and women, at elite and grassroots levels;

· finance,
including sponsorship and prize money;

· media
coverage of women's sport; and

· the
variety of sports on offer to girls at school.

We later added to this the importance of female role
models, as elite sportswomen, coaches and managers.

3. We took oral evidence from a number of women involved
in sport, Lottie Birdsall-Strong, a young footballer, Joanne Herbertson,
a coach, and Chrissie Wellington, a triathlon champion; from organisations
seeking to increase participation by women in sport, such as StreetGames,
the Muslim Women's Sport Foundation and the Women's Sport and
Fitness Foundation; from a selection of sports governing bodies
(England Netball, the Football Association, the Lawn Tennis Association,
the Rugby Football Union) and from Premiership Rugby; from the
media, the BBC, BT, Channel 4, Sky, the National Union of Journalists
and the Sports Journalists Association; and from the sports authorities,
Sport Englandwhich has responsibility for promoting sport
at grassroots leveland UK Sport (which is responsible for
funding elite sport), and from the Minister for Sport, Mrs Helen
Grant MP.

4. Many other organisations and individuals submitted
written evidence to us. Both the written and the oral evidence
that we received are published on our website.[1]
We are very grateful to all who provided evidence to our inquiry.

5. During the course of our inquiry, there were frequent
reminders that men's sport is accorded a higher status than women's,
ranging from the comparatively unreported triumphs of women footballers
to the extensive commentary on the make-up worn by some athletes
at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, with a particularly unpleasant
example of prejudice in the abuse on Twitter of the Olympic gymnast
Beth Tweddle.

6. For the year to April 2014 more than 7.2 million
women and girls (aged 14+) took part in regular sport, which is
31.4% of the female population.[3]
Whilst Sport England's Active People Survey (APS) measured some
gains in women taking part in sport and exercise between the start
of the survey in October 2005 and April 2014, the gap between
men's and women's participation in sport remains, and there is
growing concern about the participation of young women. The last
full year of data (Active People 8) was for the year to April
2014, and this showed that 40.9% of men play sport once a week
compared to 30.3% of women (nearly 2 million more men than women).

7. While about 590,000 more women have played sport
once a week in 2013-14 compared with 2005 when London won the
bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, there are specific
concerns about the younger age cohorts: at the age of 18 twice
the proportion of women as men take part in no sport at all each
month. Also, 16-25 year old women registered no growth in participation
for several years, one of very few groups to show no growth, though
the latest figure shows a small increase on October 2013.[4]

8. The more detailed analysis provided by our witnesses
showed that women's participation is significantly lower among
the lower socio-economic groups. In the higher socio-economic
groups, about 35% of women play sport regularly, whereas this
figure is just 23% for those in the lower socio-economic groups.
The pattern is the same for girls aged 16-25, wherealthough
the overall participation rates are higher than for older women49%
from the higher socio-economic groups take part in sport at least
once a week compared to 36% from the lower socio-economic groups.[5]

9. The research also identified that location is
an important factor, and women in the most deprived areas play
sport the least. In the poorest areas of England (local authorities
with the highest levels of deprivation), 27% of women play sport
regularly, compared to 33% in the wealthiest areas. With over
5 million people living in the most deprived areas of England,
and with 98% of these deprived areas being located in urban areas,
there is a strong case for focusing investment in women's sport
at these areas in an effort to get more women in the low income
groups playing sport.[6]

10. The following graph (taken from Active People
6) shows that participation in sport and physical activity at
least once a week declines with age amongst both men and women,
but men (as represented by the top line) participate more than
women in almost every age group.

This is not just a problem for the sports sector:
it has been estimated that inactivity represents £8.2 billion
of direct and indirect costs to the NHS,[7]
and individually many women and girls miss out on all the positive
health and well-being benefits that an active lifestyle provides.

11. The relative inactivity of women and girls, especially
those in poorer communities, is not a result of lack of interest
in sport and fitness. Recent research from the WSFF points to
greater demand for sport from women than men, with 12 million
women wanting to play more sport, over half of whom are currently
'inactive'. We were told that 74% of 15 year old girls would like
to be more active.[8] British
Cycling told us that over 64% of people said they would take up
cycling if it were safer.[9]

12. The Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF)
argued that the gender participation gap is so persistently large
that the Government (including the Department for Culture, Media
and Sport (DCMS), Department for Education, Department of Health
and Sport England) should produce an over-arching strategy to
increase women and girl's participation in sport and physical
activity; and that sport National Governing Bodies should be required
to show how they would help deliver the strategy in return for
public investment.[10]

13. Research by the WSFF shows that the drop in girls'
participation levels begins to occur before the transition to
secondary school. A recent study published in the British Medical
Journal found that only 38% of seven year-old girls were achieving
the recommended amount of physical activity, compared to 63% of
boys.[11] Girls' activity
declines between Years 4 and 6 at primary school, with this decline
becoming more pronounced in Years 8 and 9. The same is not true
for boys, meaning that by the age of 14 only 8% of girls meet
recommended activity levels of one hour a day.[12]
This has fallen since 2008, when 12% of girls met this level compared
to 32% of boys.[13]
By the age of 16, less than a quarter of girls, compared to 37%
of boys, play sport three times a week (Active People 6); [14]
and by 18, 65.9% of men play sport at least once a week, compared
to 41.0% of women.[15]

REASONS FOR THE PARTICIPATION GAP

14. Sport England has identified the main barriers
to participation by women in sport as:

· Personal/emotional
barriers (Not knowing anyone/wanting to exercise with a friend;
belief that muscular and sporty bodies are not feminine, not wanting
to look silly)

Sport England found that the personal and emotional
barriers were just as important as the practical ones, and would
deter many women if not addressed. Poor body image and fear of
not being fit enough to take part were significant issues, so
it was important for women to experience exercising with people
like themselvesin age, degree of fitness and competenceled
by trainers with realistic expectations.[16]
Lack of information was also identified as a significant barrier,
compounded by a lack of time to look for information. Findings
from Sport England's Active Women programme[17]
show that word of mouth is the most important channel for raising
awareness, with 40% of the women who took part hearing about the
sessions through word of mouth, 80% recommending them to friends,
and 60% bringing friends along with them. Other witnesses added
to this list of barriers: lack of access by public transport;
the cost of facilities and/or the equipment and clothing needed
to participate; a lack of confidence or poor body image; peer
pressure; cultural restrictions; the absence of positive role
models (including among coaches); competitive or intimidating
environments; the perception of clubs as cliquey and unwelcoming
to new members.[18]

15. There is no shortage of information about
the incentives and disincentives to women's participation in sport,
and both the Government and other interest groups are well aware
of them. Given the variety, inter-relatedness and complexity of
the disincentives, however, there are no simple solutions, and
tackling the problem will require imaginative approaches and concerted
effort by a number of bodies, including government agencies, sport
governing bodies, schools, the media and potential sponsors.